Bachelor’s Degrees in Health Care Studies and Nursing Science

Clinical Nurse Manager | Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center | Buffalo, N.Y.

For Ashley Curry Keppel, it was 1+2+1 that equaled an opportunity to accelerate her nursing education and start doing what she loves best — caring for people.

Growing up in the small town of Ransomville, N.Y., Keppel attended Wilson High School where she first participated in an allied health program. The students visited area hospitals as part of the program, sparking her early interest in the medical field.

Keppel decided to attend Daemen, where she played on the women’s soccer team for two years and earned a bachelor’s degree in health care studies. Continuing on to earn an RN degree in Daemen’s 1+2+1 nursing program, she returned to the college to earn a second degree in nursing science and then received a master’s degree in nursing education from SUNY Empire State College.

“The faculty at Daemen instilled leadership skills that I would use all the way down my career path,” she explains. “In my current position, I essentially have to lead every day. I credit my Daemen education as the start of my leadership abilities.” Obtaining

OCN and PCCN certifications, Keppel credits Daemen’s BSN classes for her ability to excel in the nursing field, including receiving Roswell Park’s Outstanding Staff Nurse Award.

Keppel has been clinical nurse manager at Roswell Park since 2017. She is the administrator for the hospital’s entire gastrointestinal outpatient operations, including the surgical and medical sides. The clinic cares for between 60 to 100 patients a day, and Keppel manages all scheduling, nursing, quality initiatives, and other functions in the clinic. She oversees a team of between 20 to 30 staff members, including nurses, health care associates, and care coordinators.

Married and living in Tonawanda, N.Y., Keppel is currently working on obtaining a black belt in Lean Six Sigma, a renowned training and certification program.

“I find that as I work on the Six Sigma projects, I look back at the critical thinking I learned at Daemen, and it really comes into play,” she concludes. “Daemen taught me to see the world through a wider lens, to take in the big picture, which is essential to my job in the health care field.”